Bruins will win Cup soon, former goalie Cheevers says

Gerry Cheevers had some heartening words for Boston Bruins fans eager for the team's next Stanley Cup championship.

"It's obviously a great franchise," the goalie said Thursday in a virtual town hall for Bruins season ticket holders. "Just stick by them. They're going to win the Cup soon."

The Bruins, who made it to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final last season before losing to the St. Louis Blues, were leading the NHL with 100 points when the season was paused on March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus.

And although it has not yet been determined how or when the season could be restarted, Cheevers - who helped the Bruins to the 1970 Stanley Cup title, the 50th anniversary of which is being celebrated by the Bruins this week - is confident in his old team.

"They've done a great job, that organization," said Cheevers, who played 13 seasons in the NHL, including 12 with the Bruins, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1985. "I don't know what the format's going to be or what's going to happen. You [drafted] a guy like Patrice Bergeron (in 2003) - when I still worked for the Bruins (as a scout) …- and Zdeno Chara. I worked with Tuukka (Rask) a little bit. These are good people. The Bruins have done a good job in hiring and signing and recruiting classy players and certainly Patrice Bergeron is the A1 example of that. And you like being associated with people like that."

When asked about the best goalies in the League today, Cheevers didn't hesitate to mention Rask, who was considered a potential finalist for the Vezina Trophy before the season was paused. Rask was 26-8-6 with a 2.12 goals-against average, .929 save percentage and five shutouts in 41 games.

"I love Tuukka," Cheevers said. "Tuukka is big (6-foot-3, 176 pounds), he fills the net. I would say he's in the top two or three in the League right now."